Juan Cena in 2010 harkens back to Giant Machine in 1986

As all of this talk started bubbling last week about John Cena going under a hood as “Juan Cena” to sidestep his WWE retirement stipulation, I couldn’t help but remember an earlier post I did about how the Machines pulled a similar stunt in 1986.

Hey, the not-so-mysterious masked man is a fun gimmick every now and then, and there’s nothing wrong with pro wrestling being predictable. Predictable angles often make money because the fans can see the payoff coming. Clearly at some point Nexus will ask for Cena to be reinstated, and the match with Cena vs. Wade Barrett will finally take place.

That’s not to say the plotline couldn’t head elsewhere, however. Remember, when Giant Machine’s time ended, Andre returned as a heel with Bobby Heenan to set up the huge WWF WrestleMania III main event with Hulk Hogan.